Dhurandhar Plagiarism Row: Court Issues Gag Order Against Filmmaker Accusing Aditya Dhar Of 'Stealing' His Script

Director Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar franchise has become a phenomenon beyond the unimaginable box office numbers it has raked up. With memes, "peak detailing" dissections and discussions around its casting and music, it has penetrated pop culture. However, a controversy erupted when filmmaker Santosh Kumar alleged that Aditya "stole" the script of his blockbuster spy series from him. In a big win for Aditya, the Bombay High Court has passed an interim order restraining filmmaker Santosh from repeating his allegation that Aditya "stole" Dhurandhar script from him. This came after Aditya moved the HC claiming that Santosh's repeated allegations are defamatory and damage his reputation.

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Justice Arif Doctor, while passing an interim order, noted that Aditya made a prima facie case for the grant of such relief. "Until the next date, the defendant (Santosh Kumar) shall be restrained from repeating words and remarks set out in the suit (filed by Aditya Dhar) and all other allegations of a similar nature," the court said.

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The bench posted the matter for further hearing on April 16. As per the suit, Santosh made the allegations against Aditya after the release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, a sequel to the 2025 film Dhurandhar, accusing Aditya of copying his registered script titled D Saheb.

Aditya initially issued a legal notice to Santosh denying any plagiarism and asked him to desist from making further allegations, but when the latter failed to respond, Aditya moved the HC through DSK Legal.

Aditya's counsel, Birendra Saraf, told the court that the repeated accusations were causing irreparable damage to the filmmaker's reputation. Collectively, the two Dhurandhar movies have grossed over ₹2300 crore and counting at the worldwide box office. It stands amongst the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed Hindi films in recent times.